If there is any daylight between the B.C. NDP’s approach to government in the midst of a pandemic and that of the Ontario PCs or Alberta UPC, I can’t see it.
Funny how people accusing governments of not being serious enough in their response rarely lay out what they think should have been done. Because it leads to a discussions of very lengthy lock downs, supported by curfews and road blocks. All enforced by police. Is this what you really mean by commitment?
Remember a year ago when all the talk was about "test and trace" for a surgical approach to containing spread without lockdowns? And remember how governments failed to (a) ever ramp up testing to a level that would enable that or (b) sustain effective contact tracing?
There is no choice between "endless COVID" and "lengthy lockdowns". Our current strategy is both. When was the last time people in BC were allowed to socialize with anyone?
The evidence to date shows that the ONLY effective method to reduce infection rates is mass vaccination. Pleadings from the electorate for government to do better ring hollow when the same electorate, as a collective, refuses to follow the public health guidance coming from government. It does not matter if I and many others judiciously follow this guidance when illegal super-spreading gatherings continue apace. It does not matter if, in an alternate reality, the Canadian government had the capacity to park tanks and troops of the CF in every street of the nation to enforce a stay-at-home decree because our Supreme Court would likely disallow it.
So let's simply implore our governments to vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate. Everything else is ineffective and distracting make-work now.
I think that Nikiforuk at The Tyee brought more background to the same topic, recommended. It was about a lot more than Whistler. It would take some shoe leather, I'm sure, to find and list all the many workplaces that were superspreading without being shut down.
This is a local version of the study that showed the "get to zero" strategy is by far the most successful; the half-hearted roller-coaster strategy that BC fell into was far inferior.
What needs a book based on in-depth interviews after people are out of office, is WHY they made these decisions, knowing at the time how they were going to work out. I can't believe that Dr. Bonnie figured that Whistler would just go away on its own, in January.
You're absolutely right that it was much more than Whistler. Whistler is just the easiest example to point out.
Unfortunately, the BC government has been slow or unwilling to provide details on workplace and school transmission (in fact it has mostly denied that the later exists at all) that would enlighten the public about where risks exist. There's also been a lack of honesty on the risks of airborne transmission that mean activities like sitting in a conference room at work for an hour with 5 people, 6 ft apart are still considered safe when they probably should not be.
The government narrative has been that irresponsible behaviour is the cause of our current predicament, when in reality there are many documented instances of people following the rules and still getting infected and spreading the virus.
Effective contact tracing was a critical input that they largely failed to implement. None of the mitigations like masks, distancing, or capacity limits are foolproof. There’s still going to be infections even when they’re all implemented correctly. However, what proportion of cases are attributable to these vs. cases where the mitigations weren’t being followed? It’s all well and good to wear a mask and practice distancing when you’re at work or out shopping, but that won’t matter much if you continue to get together with friends at home. I’m not sure contact tracing even helps much here, because people aren’t going to be inclined to admit they broke the rules.
As far a schools go, I’m livid that the government continues to insist there’s no significant risk of transmission or risk to students. First, the assertion is made based on sparse data from earlier in the pandemic, and the data they had was from schools applying additional mitigations like masking, rapid testing, and more outdoor instruction that BC didn’t follow. More recent data (including anecdotal experience of most BC parents) indicates such transmission is a risk. Second, there was a refusal to mandate basic mitigations with minimal impact like wearing masks at all times in schools, and using rapid tests to screen for COVID and detect cases earlier. It seems like a product of a political decision to keep schools open no matter what, combined with unjustifiable confidence in questionable data.
Funny how people accusing governments of not being serious enough in their response rarely lay out what they think should have been done. Because it leads to a discussions of very lengthy lock downs, supported by curfews and road blocks. All enforced by police. Is this what you really mean by commitment?
Remember a year ago when all the talk was about "test and trace" for a surgical approach to containing spread without lockdowns? And remember how governments failed to (a) ever ramp up testing to a level that would enable that or (b) sustain effective contact tracing?
There is no choice between "endless COVID" and "lengthy lockdowns". Our current strategy is both. When was the last time people in BC were allowed to socialize with anyone?
The evidence to date shows that the ONLY effective method to reduce infection rates is mass vaccination. Pleadings from the electorate for government to do better ring hollow when the same electorate, as a collective, refuses to follow the public health guidance coming from government. It does not matter if I and many others judiciously follow this guidance when illegal super-spreading gatherings continue apace. It does not matter if, in an alternate reality, the Canadian government had the capacity to park tanks and troops of the CF in every street of the nation to enforce a stay-at-home decree because our Supreme Court would likely disallow it.
So let's simply implore our governments to vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate. Everything else is ineffective and distracting make-work now.
I think that Nikiforuk at The Tyee brought more background to the same topic, recommended. It was about a lot more than Whistler. It would take some shoe leather, I'm sure, to find and list all the many workplaces that were superspreading without being shut down.
This is a local version of the study that showed the "get to zero" strategy is by far the most successful; the half-hearted roller-coaster strategy that BC fell into was far inferior.
What needs a book based on in-depth interviews after people are out of office, is WHY they made these decisions, knowing at the time how they were going to work out. I can't believe that Dr. Bonnie figured that Whistler would just go away on its own, in January.
You're absolutely right that it was much more than Whistler. Whistler is just the easiest example to point out.
Unfortunately, the BC government has been slow or unwilling to provide details on workplace and school transmission (in fact it has mostly denied that the later exists at all) that would enlighten the public about where risks exist. There's also been a lack of honesty on the risks of airborne transmission that mean activities like sitting in a conference room at work for an hour with 5 people, 6 ft apart are still considered safe when they probably should not be.
The government narrative has been that irresponsible behaviour is the cause of our current predicament, when in reality there are many documented instances of people following the rules and still getting infected and spreading the virus.
Effective contact tracing was a critical input that they largely failed to implement. None of the mitigations like masks, distancing, or capacity limits are foolproof. There’s still going to be infections even when they’re all implemented correctly. However, what proportion of cases are attributable to these vs. cases where the mitigations weren’t being followed? It’s all well and good to wear a mask and practice distancing when you’re at work or out shopping, but that won’t matter much if you continue to get together with friends at home. I’m not sure contact tracing even helps much here, because people aren’t going to be inclined to admit they broke the rules.
As far a schools go, I’m livid that the government continues to insist there’s no significant risk of transmission or risk to students. First, the assertion is made based on sparse data from earlier in the pandemic, and the data they had was from schools applying additional mitigations like masking, rapid testing, and more outdoor instruction that BC didn’t follow. More recent data (including anecdotal experience of most BC parents) indicates such transmission is a risk. Second, there was a refusal to mandate basic mitigations with minimal impact like wearing masks at all times in schools, and using rapid tests to screen for COVID and detect cases earlier. It seems like a product of a political decision to keep schools open no matter what, combined with unjustifiable confidence in questionable data.
The only thing that makes me feel better about the German* response is the fact Canada is doing worse. Sad but true 😥
*expat CAN in case you're wondering.